Recent attacks on disabled shed light on nationwide trend

Published: Saturday, February 2, 2013 at 11:20 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, February 2, 2013 at 11:20 p.m.

SARASOTA - A wheelchair-dependent man was punched 10 times in the face during an attempted robbery outside a Sarasota-area drugstore on Monday.

The next day, a Manatee County man was pulled out of his wheelchair when another man came up behind him and grabbed the “murse” — or man's purse — that he was carrying, the sheriff's office reported.

The two unrelated attacks last week put an unusual focus on a national trend: people with disabilities are 50 percent more likely to be victims of violent crime, the U.S. Department of Justice reports.

Abuse, neglect and exploitation are often mentioned when talking about crimes against the disabled, with hotlines and agencies set up to handle those cases and to get law enforcement involved.

But violent crimes like robbery or assault — whether violent or or sexual — also are more likely to be committed against people with disabilities.

With physical or cognitive ailments that may make them appear more vulnerable, advocates try to educate communities about the risks.

“Many people with disabilities are more vulnerable to criminals,” said Melanie Etters, a spokeswoman for the statewide Agency with Persons for Disabilities.

Etters' agency works with care providers, group homes and families to make sure people with disabilities are safe at home. Any employee that the agency hires to provide care must go through a thorough criminal background screening.

“There is a long list of things that disqualifies them from working with our customers,” said Etters, whose agency works specifically with people with developmental disabilities.

While children or elderly people with disabilities often draw the most concern, both robbery cases this week involved adult men.

Both fended off their attackers and later reported the episodes to law enforcement, one resulting in an arrest.

In the Sarasota case, two people attempted to rob a man in a wheelchair outside a drugstore on Tuesday, hitting the paraplegic man in the face multiple times, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.

Walfer Guerrero, 45, was leaving a Walgreens on Bee Ridge Road with some over-the-counter allergy medicine just after midnight, sheriff's reports say. A white man and woman approached him asking to buy prescription pills. Guerrero responded told them he did not have prescriptions and would not sell them if he did.

“I'll go get the car,” the woman reportedly told the man with her, who detectives later identified as 28-year-old Justin Haney.

As Guerrero got into his vehicle, he told deputies the man forcefully grabbed a bag around Guerrero's neck. Guerrero bit the robber's hand as he tried to remove the bag. The robber then punched Guerrero in the face, before the woman drove up in a white SUV and they both left.

Both suspects were captured on surveillance cameras inside the store. Haney, with a bite mark on his hand, was arrested Friday and charged with violation of probation and attempted robbery.

In the Manatee incident, Richard Dennard, 53, was in a wheelchair near a Dollar General store. He was leaving the area when he saw a man walk past him. The man then ran up behind Dennard and tried to snatch the “man purse” Dennard was holding around his right arm, according to sheriff's reports.

Dennard held onto the “murse” until the robber pulled him out of the wheelchair and onto the ground. The attacker got away with the bag and got into the back seat of a waiting car. Dennard then contacted deputies. No images were captured of the suspect.

While the two separate incidents in Southwest Florida are examples of violent crimes of opportunity, many living with a disability also are victims of abuse by caregivers or non-violent crimes like exploitation.

The Florida Department of Children and Families manages a hotline for abuse and neglect, and many of the cases that the agency investigates involve crimes by someone that the disabled victim trusts, said Belinda Amankwaa, a community liaison for the agency's Adult Protective Service.

More than 2,000 reports of abuse, neglect or exploitation came from the region that includes Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties in 2011.

“It's unfortunate, and what I do is to educate the community,” Amankwaa said. “For a lot of people with disabilities, especially with younger people living out on their own, we encourage families to check their bank balances.”

<p><em>SARASOTA</em> - A wheelchair-dependent man was punched 10 times in the face during an attempted robbery outside a Sarasota-area drugstore on Monday.</p><p>The next day, a Manatee County man was pulled out of his wheelchair when another man came up behind him and grabbed the “murse” — or man's purse — that he was carrying, the sheriff's office reported.</p><p>The two unrelated attacks last week put an unusual focus on a national trend: people with disabilities are 50 percent more likely to be victims of violent crime, the U.S. Department of Justice reports.</p><p>Abuse, neglect and exploitation are often mentioned when talking about crimes against the disabled, with hotlines and agencies set up to handle those cases and to get law enforcement involved.</p><p>But violent crimes like robbery or assault — whether violent or or sexual — also are more likely to be committed against people with disabilities.</p><p>With physical or cognitive ailments that may make them appear more vulnerable, advocates try to educate communities about the risks.</p><p>“Many people with disabilities are more vulnerable to criminals,” said Melanie Etters, a spokeswoman for the statewide Agency with Persons for Disabilities.</p><p>Etters' agency works with care providers, group homes and families to make sure people with disabilities are safe at home. Any employee that the agency hires to provide care must go through a thorough criminal background screening.</p><p>“There is a long list of things that disqualifies them from working with our customers,” said Etters, whose agency works specifically with people with developmental disabilities.</p><p> <hr width="30%"></p><p>While children or elderly people with disabilities often draw the most concern, both robbery cases this week involved adult men.</p><p>Both fended off their attackers and later reported the episodes to law enforcement, one resulting in an arrest.</p><p>In the Sarasota case, two people attempted to rob a man in a wheelchair outside a drugstore on Tuesday, hitting the paraplegic man in the face multiple times, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.</p><p>Walfer Guerrero, 45, was leaving a Walgreens on Bee Ridge Road with some over-the-counter allergy medicine just after midnight, sheriff's reports say. A white man and woman approached him asking to buy prescription pills. Guerrero responded told them he did not have prescriptions and would not sell them if he did.</p><p>“I'll go get the car,” the woman reportedly told the man with her, who detectives later identified as 28-year-old Justin Haney.</p><p>As Guerrero got into his vehicle, he told deputies the man forcefully grabbed a bag around Guerrero's neck. Guerrero bit the robber's hand as he tried to remove the bag. The robber then punched Guerrero in the face, before the woman drove up in a white SUV and they both left.</p><p>Both suspects were captured on surveillance cameras inside the store. Haney, with a bite mark on his hand, was arrested Friday and charged with violation of probation and attempted robbery.</p><p>In the Manatee incident, Richard Dennard, 53, was in a wheelchair near a Dollar General store. He was leaving the area when he saw a man walk past him. The man then ran up behind Dennard and tried to snatch the “man purse” Dennard was holding around his right arm, according to sheriff's reports.</p><p>Dennard held onto the “murse” until the robber pulled him out of the wheelchair and onto the ground. The attacker got away with the bag and got into the back seat of a waiting car. Dennard then contacted deputies. No images were captured of the suspect.</p><p> <hr width="30%"></p><p>While the two separate incidents in Southwest Florida are examples of violent crimes of opportunity, many living with a disability also are victims of abuse by caregivers or non-violent crimes like exploitation.</p><p>The Florida Department of Children and Families manages a hotline for abuse and neglect, and many of the cases that the agency investigates involve crimes by someone that the disabled victim trusts, said Belinda Amankwaa, a community liaison for the agency's Adult Protective Service.</p><p>More than 2,000 reports of abuse, neglect or exploitation came from the region that includes Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties in 2011.</p><p>“It's unfortunate, and what I do is to educate the community,” Amankwaa said. “For a lot of people with disabilities, especially with younger people living out on their own, we encourage families to check their bank balances.”</p>